If you own a smartphone (who doesn’t anyway?), chances are you also own a powerbank that goes wherever you go. Portable chargers come in a variety of shapes and sizes and of course power capacity. Over the years new technologies have enabled powerbanks to go through their own evolution and today’s powerbanks pack a bunch of tech, from security features to fast-charging capability. It is not something that you replace often but you might probably be on the lookout for one if your old trusty powerbank no longer works as it should or you just want to upgrade to a better model.

I personally have been using the Tronsmart Presto 10,400mAh powerbank for the last couple of years and it has served me well by being a very solid and reliable portable charger. But I think I have a new favourite now. Soon-to-be-replacing my trusty Tronsmart Presto is the newer Tronsmart Trim PBD01 18W 10,000mAh powerbank. It takes a lot to pry me away from the Presto but the Trim have all the elements to do just that.

The Trim has a slim profile and its shaped like a smartphone. It makes the Presto looks like a brick in comparison. Naturally, the Trim offers a much better and comfier in-hand as well as carrying experience. It slips easily into pockets and does not cause much bulge. Tronsmart is billing it as the world’s thinnest 10,000mAh power bank and we haven’t seen anything else to dispute that claim.

The Trim side-by-side with an iPhone X

As far as ports go, it has a USB Type-C port (in/out), a USB-A port (out) and a MicroUSB (in). The battery-level indicator which consists of four LED indicators are located at the side and it even has a lanyard hole for attaching a lanyard (one is provided inside the retail packaging that doubles up as a Micro USB cable) if you will. The device is made up of anodized aluminium for the top and bottom part, with a plastic frame in between. I’m not a fan of the built material as the black anodized aluminium attracts scuffs and marks all the time, though they can be wiped off easily. I also wished that the powerbank comes in different colors or color combinations instead of only one set option. But that’s nitpicking.

So here’s the main point. What separates the Trim from many other powerbanks out there is its USB Power Delivery (PD) 3.0 feature. For those not in the know, USB PD is basically a specification for handling higher power with up to 100W and it enables faster charging over standard USB connection. To date, only a few devices support PD and they include the latest iPhones (iPhone 8 and above), iPad Pro, MacBooks as well as a number of Android smartphones including Google’s latest Pixel phones. Not much, I know. But for those lucky few who own a compatible device, USB PD will change how you look at the speed of charging, especially from a powerbank.

The Trim was able to charge up my iPhone X from 1% to 50% in just 30 minutes which is the fastest I’ve ever seen of any chargers. But there’s a caveat though. In order to benefit from this fast charging, you will need to invest in Apple’s USB-C to Lightning cable which isn’t exactly cheap. If you have the resources to do so then you would definitely appreciate the huge speed boost it gives. Android users meanwhile can meanwhile make use of any standard USB-C cable. Moreover, you can use the USB-A port to charge another device at the same time if you have one. Yes, it supports simultaneous charging on two devices with up to 18W dual output.

USB PD might just be the future standard of power banks but as of right now, it isn’t a widely adopted format yet. Majorities are still relying on standard power banks which have existed for as long as we can remember. If you’re willing to cough up a little more, a power bank with USB PD is the way to go (assuming you have a supporting device). And with the Trim, you get a fast, slim, easy-to-carry-around portable charger that packs plenty of charging power.